Living LIVE News Report 07.09.12

Welcome everyone to another issue of the Living LIVE News Report, and as always, I’m your host for the evening, Trace Aber. I must apologize for my absence last week, but I was out of power for a few days thanks to the storms that rocked Ohio. It only hit us for about five or ten minutes, but the storm managed to take out five power lines near where I live, which made writing this article, and doing anything else, really, very difficult. That being said, I am back with power and it feels great to be sitting in AC as opposed to 100+ weather.

Next Mass Effect 3 DLC Leaked
Because Mass Effect 3 hasn’t suffered from enough leaks throughout its development, some sleuthing fans have found some interesting files within the Extended Cut DLC, specifically one titled “DLC_Shared_INT.tlk.”

The files suggest that Shepard and crew will be rescuing a scientist from a colony under the control of Leviathan, a reaper who has decided to go off and do his own thing for the last ten years. It also mentions possibly teaming up with the reaper at some point, but then again it also mentions that if Leviathan turned against the reapers, he’s a traitor, and, well, he’s a reaper. Reapers are generally bad in the Mass Effect universe.

Now here’s where things get interesting, as it appears this is pre-ending DLC that could have an impact on the ending of the game (they sure do love modifying it, don’t they?). So, obviously, SPOILER WARNING. Another file, called “DLC_CON_END_Test_INT.tlk, includes new dialogue involving the Catalyst;

“The Leviathan’s created you, didn’t they?
Tell me what you know about the Leviathans.
But you turned on the Leviathans. You harvested them.
Who is OLD TONGUE NAME OF HARBINGER?
The first Reaper. In this cycle, amongst your kind, it is known as Harbinger.”

So Leviathans were the ultimate creators of the Catalyst, who eventually turned on them to create reapers as his ultimate solution, even if they didn’t want it. But the Catalyst messed up, giving the newly-formed reaper enough free will to do its own thing, and apparently even killed another reaper. Still, dude seems like a jerk, since he enslaved the colony for ten years.

Finally, the files also include a bunch of new weapon mods, which can be found below:

This could also potentially change one’s interpretation of the Control ending, since not all reapers are under the same mindset as initially thought. Still, no odds of this being post-ending DLC as Shepard dies in most endings, so we probably won’t see that particular subplot play out. Still, should be extremely interesting in the upcoming weeks as more information comes out about this DLC.END SPOILERS.

Telltale Apologizes for Delay Between Walking Dead Episodes
Even though the first two games in the Walking Dead five-part series have been released to rave reviews, there was quite a lot of disappointment at just how long fans had to wait to play the second episode, which has recently been released. Telltale issued a public apology, and promised that the third episode, Long Road Ahead,, would be released “in the middle of August,” and that they’ll be trying to release the game on all platforms as close to each other as possible. The full statement can be found below;

“Hello Everyone

First and foremost we want to thank everyone for their patience with regard to the launch of episode two of The Walking Dead. As you may know, it arrived later than anticipated and this has been a cause of frustration for everyone.

Our goal from day one has been to deliver your game episodes as quickly as possible, and where we can, simultaneously across all platforms and regions. We’ve been working closely with our phenomenally supportive partners to try to make this a reality. We will continue to work on this and furthermore, we will strive to improve our communication with you so that you know what’s happening. Please rest assured that we are doing all we can to get your game episodes to you as quickly as possible.

For many of you, the most important thing is to let you know when the next episode (Episode 3: Long Road Ahead) will be available, and although we can’t give you an exact date at this time, we can say that episode three will be ready in the middle of August, and that we and our partners will do all that we can to release all platforms and regions as close together as possible.

The response to episode two has been overwhelmingly positive and we can’t say enough about how much we appreciate everyone enjoying what we are creating. We’re truly humbled by your continuing support.

We look forward to your feedback on episode two and can’t wait for you to play episode three!

-Telltale Games”

Random News and Notes
-Unfortunate news for Far Cry 3 fans, as the highly anticipated sandbox title has been pushed back from September 4th to December 4th in the United States. It will release November 29th in Europe.

-Fortunate news for Halo 2 fans, however, as 343 Industries has been rumored to be working on Halo 2 Anniversary, which would be an HD remake similar to last year’s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.. Might as well suck every last penny out of the old games as you can, I suppose.

-Speaking of Halo, Halo 4 will reportedly require at least 8GB of space to play the multiplayer mode. Microsoft noted that for an “optimal experience” it would be best to play with an official Xbox 360 Hard Drive, though they might be a bit biased.

-Capcom has announced the release of Marvel Vs Capcom: Origins in September to XBLA, which will be an online-enabled version of Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel Vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.

-Sega recently announced that they are working on an HD version of NiGHTS, the Sega Saturn classic. The game is expected to release this fall, though I’m still waiting for my Skies of Arcadia or Shenmue remake.

Signing Out
That does it for me this week. Be sure to check back next week as we discuss all of the latest Xbox 360 news, including releases, rumors and reviews! Also, don’t forget to bookmark 411Mania! And a note to all of the Indie Game developers out there – if you have an upcoming title that’s going to be released soon drop me a line at [email protected] and let me know. I’ll write a full review of your game to be posted on 411Mania.com, which is a great way to get your game promoted!